By: Frank James, Special to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper
There is one faction of people in the USA who seem to not be able to say no. That faction of people is the African American male. I don’t mean say no to drugs, or even casual sex. I mean saying no to people, and not having to grin while saying it. African American men stop that foolish grinning. Say no and mean it. Every other faction of US citizens have been saying no to you for centuries.
When you are African American in the USA you fall under a certain level of scrutiny. Everything you do or say is under a metaphorical microscope. If you are an African American male the scrutiny is magnified by a million. Let me clarify what I am referring to. I am talking about an African American male who says no to people, or disagrees with someone, and doesn’t do it while neutering himself. The African American male who says no, or get out of my face, and doesn’t start grinning like a monkey. When one of the previous scenarios takes place the African American male always comes out the loser. Why? There is an unwritten rule. African American males shouldn’t have an opinion, much less one that disagrees.
I know what you are thinking “African American males hold power positions in the USA on various levels. These African American males must be able to say no or disagree.” A salute to these men who are in these positions because many do say no. Some of these African American males say it without smiling. The sad part is that even the most financially powerful African American male can be viewed as an angry Black man if he disagrees without humility.
It may be hard for the other factions of US citizens to understand where I am coming from because they may not have such scrutiny or restrictions place upon them. The African American male has been under a severe neutering process since the first slaves hit the US shores. The African American male was told not to speak up, or bring too much attention to himself. You can see the results of the previous statement daily in corporate America. One example is, a tall African American male grinning and downplaying their masculinity to fit into the workplace. How does such an African American male fit in? He makes his opinion neutral, or when he does voice an opinion he is sure it comes out non-threatening. The opinion is accompanied with a grin.
Let’s step outside of the corporate world. If an African American male is in a restaurant and he doesn’t accept the service the situation changes drastically from a similar situation with a white male. Why? The African American male is not supposed to have a no in his body, or mind. Please, don’t let the African American male be over six feet or muscular in the restaurant disagreement scenario. If they are and there is security in the place, security is notified right away. “There is an angry Black man,” goes out over the headset. I know this sounds crazy. If you want to verify this, ask any African American male who has not been neutered mentally. This un-neutered African American male may laugh, then tell you his version of this truth.
African American males, it is the year 2025 and about to be 2026. Every other faction of people in the USA from LGBTQ to illegal aliens can say no, you can too. African American male, you don’t have to feminize yourself to have the ability to say no. African American male you have the right to say what you feel without kowtowing. Stand up African American male and say your piece. Say no and feel good about it. African American males, just be sure you are not talking to the police.
Frank James IV © 2025
beingfrankwithfrank@gmail.com
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or HT Group, LLC, its staff or management. “Being Frank” is a bi-weekly column exclusive to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper.
